


The Canary Girl (Or "Why It's a Curse to Have a Beautiful Singing Voice")

by ETNMystic



Series: Mystic's Original Works (Possibly Transferred From My Other Accounts On Other Writing Sites) [18]
Category: Original Work
Genre: this is based on a fear of mine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24034132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/pseuds/ETNMystic
Summary: Lilly Sparrow gets haunted by bird motifs.But is it just a joke.................or something more sinister?
Series: Mystic's Original Works (Possibly Transferred From My Other Accounts On Other Writing Sites) [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726699
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	The Canary Girl (Or "Why It's a Curse to Have a Beautiful Singing Voice")

Yes, it's true. From the title, you've probably guess that I am a canary girl. My name is Lilly Sparrow. I am fourteen years old. I have blue-gray eyes and golden blonde hair which shines in the light so beautifully that I sometimes swear that it's made of real gold. When I was five, I was diagnosed with extreme anxiety and paranoia.  
  
This whole incident started a while back. People had heard me sing in a talent show back in middle school and kept asking me to sing for them. They showed up around January and we didn't really start talking until April. By May I felt that I could trust them completely. That is until they discovered two things about me.  
One; my hidden secret, which is that I can sing really well. And two they found out my biggest fear, which is being kidnapped and becoming someone's little canary bird girl.  
  
Tuesday came. I was walking to fourth hour when I suddenly had the feeling that I wasn't alone. No, I felt like I was being watched; maybe even being followed. I turned my head a little to the right and then a little to the left. No one was there.  
  
"It's only your imagination, Lilly," I told myself.  
  
I kept on walking when I realized that I could hear them. Two pairs of footsteps that were not so far behind me. I slowly turned around and saw absolutely nothing.  
  
"Odd," I told myself.  
  
Turning back around, I picked up the pace a little bit when from out of nowhere came my name. The speaker had a very lyrical voice and it was followed by two chirps, as if from a bird.  
I was almost at a run by the time I got to Science.  
  
All throughout the day, I kept hearing it; my name followed by the two chirps. And all the time, I kept telling myself that there was no reason to freak out; that it was simply my imagination getting the best of me.  
I managed to make it through my sixth hour without going insane. That was when I headed to my locker to drop off my Science textbook. I turned the lock and pulled it open. As I was putting my Science textbook on my locker floor, I hear a melodic chirp coming from nearby; one that sounded a lot like my voice. I looked around and saw nothing that could've made such a sound. All I saw were other kids packing up and leaving.  
  
 _"Chirp! Chirp."_  
  
There it was again! My heart pounded in my chest as I realized that the sound was a lot closer than I had anticipated.  
  
"But where?" I wondered as I slammed my locker shut and headed for the bus.  
  
 _"Chirp!"_  
  
This time it was muffled, but I could hear it loud and clear. The sound was coming from my locker. I jerked to a halt as did my heart. Slowly I turned back around to face my locker. Shakily my hands turned the knob on the lock as I reentered my combination. Slowly, ever so slowly, my locker door opened up with a loud and low creak. I scanned the locker from the bottom up. My eyes reached the top shelf and I gasped in fright.  
Sitting on the shelf was a golden birdcage and inside was a yellow, stuffed bird; a canary by the looks of it. My name had been sewn onto the bird in black, capital letters and a note sat patiently just below the door of the cage. Hands trembling, I removed the note and read it to myself:  
  
 _"We're coming for you, Canary Girl."_

* * *

"And then what?" my best friend Ayden Finch asked me over the phone later that evening.  
  
"I ran like hell to the buses," I told him.  
  
"But what about the birdcage and the note?"  
  
"I still have the note. The birdcage is still in my locker."  
  
"And what did the note say again."  
  
"It said 'We're coming for you.'"  
  
"Freaky," he remarked.  
"I'd watch my back if I were you. I've heard about stuff like this in my criminology books. Of course it could just be an empty threat."  
  
Sixteen year old Ayden Finch has been my best friend since my first day of high school. His brunette hair and hazel eyes make him a sure target for the ladies. If it weren't for our common interests of mystery and horror as well as choir, I don't know how he would've even took notice of me that first day. His teasing demeanor and interest in forensics are what I really like about him.  
  
"But who put it there?" I asked.  
  
"Beats me," he answered.  
"Does anyone else know about your fear of canary birds and golden cages?"  
  
"I'm not afraid of canary birds or golden cages. I'm just----"  
  
I paused in shock and my eyes tripled in size. I never told Ayden what color the cage was or what kind of bird was in the cage. He couldn't have possibly known. Unless---  
  
"I'm gonna have to call you back, Ayden," I shivered as I slammed the phone onto the receiver.  
  
I tried to focus on my homework, but Ayden kept getting to me. I wasn't even at the peak of the horror and, already, I knew of someone who could pull the canary bird stunt off easily. I mean, I didn't entrust anyone else with my locker combination. And even if Ayden didn't know my combo, he seemed smart enough to find a way to break in; what with all of his criminology experience. But the truth had been staring me right in the face even before the birdcage incident; and I still hadn't seen it. 

* * *

I had to watch my back around Ayden. Being that I wasn't really on good terms with most of my grade, what with me refusing to sing for them, I turned to two senior girls who I had met during the school musical; Melissa and Ella.  
  
"And the note said 'We're coming for you,'" I told them on Thursday at lunch.  
  
"Oh my gosh. That is scary," Melissa exclaimed.  
  
"If that were me, I would've transferred schools," Ella agreed.  
  
"And the scariest part of it all is that I think my friend Ayden did it. I think that maybe he wants to kidnap me for my singing voice."  
  
"I didn't know that you could sing," Melissa exclaimed.  
  
Ella nodded.  
  
"But you were in _'Guys and Dolls'_ with me," I pointed out,  
  
"Surely you heard my voice once or twice."  
  
The two girls gave this some thought.  
  
"Come to think, we might've heard you singing a few lines in the green room," Ella remarked.  
"Maybe Ayden does have a reason to kidnap you."  
  
"I suppose that you guys might as well."  
  
"Well, given the opportunity, I would kidnap you," Melissa remarked thoughtfully.  
  
"Yeah, you do have a really good singing voice," Ella agreed.  
  
"But how would you guys keep me in the cage or keep me from escaping?"  
  
"I'd bribe you," Ella answered.  
  
"I'd hypnotize you," Melissa said.  
  
"How would you know if I could be hypnotized? And how would you do it?"  
  
"I'm hoping that you can be. And I'd find ways. We learned about hypnosis in Psych."  
  
It went on like this for the rest of lunch. We joked around about what they would do to me and such.  
  
"Of course you wouldn't really do it, would you?"  
  
"Well," Melissa exclaimed.  
"I've always wanted a pet canary. Plus you'd be cute to keep in a cage."  
  
"But you're kidding, right?"  
  
"Of course I am, Lilly. I'd watch my back, though. Ayden does seem like the kidnapping type to me."

* * *

"Sis, I have something to ask you," said my younger sister Tabitha.  
  
I looked up from my copy of _"Romeo and Juliet."_  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, the eighth grade is having a scary story contest and I got tricked into it."  
  
"But you're in the sixth grade."  
  
"That's just it. One minute I was telling Kathy about how it's so stupid that only the eighth graders get to participate in the contest and that the sixth grade would do way better because we have more imagination and could dream up stuff that's much scarier than they ever could combined. And the next thing I knew, an eighth grader dared me to sign up. And I can't get out of it because we made a bet."  
  
"What's the bet?"  
  
"Whoever writes the scarier story earns the title of 'Emperor of the School' for their grade and the losing grade has to worship the winning grade for the rest of their life. And if I welch out on the bet, I'll be shamed for life."  
  
"So why are you coming to me about it?"  
  
"Because I can't think of anything good. Your horror stories are so realistic that I can't sleep for weeks after reading them."  
  
I gave this some thought. On one hand, I had a lot of homework to do. But on the other hand, I couldn't let my little sister suffer humiliation from her classmates. That was my job.  
  
"Okay, how long do you have?"  
  
"I have a week or so, but I know that a well-developed story is written gradually."  
  
"Does it have to be something totally new or can it be a parody with new ideas?"  
  
"It can be anything as long as it's not a published piece."  
  
"Interesting. Tell me, have you ever heard of the novel _'And Then There Were None'_ by Agatha Christie?"  
  
Tabitha shook her head.  
  
"Well, I was thinking that maybe I could give you the jist of the novel and then you can write something like it."  
  
"Shoot," she told me.  
  
I gave her the plot line in detail. If you haven't read the book, and I'm sorry if this seems unnecessary, 'And Then There Were None' is about ten people, all with secret pasts. They are invited for the weekend to this island by a man named Mr. Owen. The only thing is Mr. Owen isn't there when they arrive, and one by one, the guests are murdered in a certain fashion. One choked his little self, another overslept herself, a third stayed in Devon, and so on the murders go until there are none.  
  
"I'll have to think about it. By the way, someone told me to give this package to you."  
  
Tabitha handed me a cardboard box and ran back to her room. Taking my pencil, I cut the packing tape open and shifted through the packing peanuts until I found it.  
It was another birdcage, but inside laid a yellow wooden canary, as opposed to a stuffed one. On top of that, the birdcage had a layout the resembled a sort of maze, like a puzzle. I tried to get it out to get a closer look, but it was impossible. That was when I found a piece of paper that read:  
  
 _"'The Wooden Canary Cage' is an impossible contraption of a puzzle. For centuries many have tried, but failed, to set the canary free from its cage. There are people who set it free only to find the canary back in the cage the next day, as if someone wants to keep the canary inside as their own forever and ever. Better watch your back, Canary Girl."_  
  
The second I saw it, I snatched up the birdcage and threw it out the front door. It landed in the shrubbery by our front stoop with a smash.  
  


* * *

"What the hell is Ayden trying to do?" I asked Melissa and Ella at school the next day after telling them about the puzzle.  
"Is this some sort of a fucking joke? If it is, then it's not funny!"  
  
"Lilly, I'm sure that it is just a joke," Melissa assured me.  
  
"No, I don't think it is," I said suddenly.  
"I think that he may be serious. I think that he may actually want to kidnap me."  
  
"Just calm down. I'm sure that he didn't mean to scare you," Ella said.  
  
"How can I calm down when my best friend wants me as his little, pet canary girl?"  
  
"Try not to think about it," Melissa advised as the bell rang. 

* * *

I tried to take Melissa's advice, but how could I not think about it when I was constantly getting reminders? At lunch I found a bag of gummy worms on my tray when I came back from getting a napkin. In fifth hour, I found a bag of bird seed in my bag. And when I went to my locker, I found a bird costume inside. But the worst was yet to come.  
I sat home with Tabitha that night watching a movie. Our parents had gone out to dinner and a movie, leaving us home alone. I was about to get some more popcorn when the phone rang. I picked it up cautiously.  
  
"Hello?" I asked hesitantly.  
  
 _"Hello, Canary Girl,"_ a voice purred on the other end.  
  
It wasn't any voice that I'd recognize, but I did recognize the nickname. That was the last straw.  
  
"This isn't funny, Ayden," I growled angrily.  
  
 _"We're coming for you, Canary Girl,"_ the voice continued as if I hadn't said a thing.  
 _"Midnight. Tonight."_  
  
"I'm serious, Ayden. Cut out the fucking joke!"  
  
There was no answer except for the long and loud tone. The line had been disconnected. As I put the phone down on the receiver, I realized that this was no joke and I had a feeling that Ayden wasn't alone in this plot.  
  
"Tabitha," I said.  
"Go get ready for bed."  
  
"But it's only ten-thirty. And besides it's not a school night."  
  
"Just go get ready for bed."  
  
Tabitha hit the stop button on the DVD player and went upstairs in disappointment. When I heard her bedroom door shut, I realized that this could be my chance. I went back into the kitchen to make another phone call. 

* * *

I sat outside my doorstep, checking my watch every now and then. Mom, dad, and Tabitha were probably fast asleep already and my best friend wanted to kidnap me. I had to take this one out on my own.  
I glanced at my watch in the light of my front stoop. It was a minute to midnight. Ayden would be coming for me any second. But I wasn't about to run and hide.  
My watch beeped loudly. As if it was a cue, a car that was as black as a nighttime shadow turned the corner and into my driveway. I stood up and prepared for Ayden or his accomplice, whoever it was that he had hired, to step out of the car and shove me into the back seat.  
The car doors opened and out stepped two figures. As they walked up the sidewalk, I noticed that one of them had long hair. Had Ayden gotten a girl to help him with this? No, Ayden must've been in the backseat, for there was another figure with hair at medium length. As they stepped further into the light, I was in for a surprise. One of them had long, light-blonde hair while the other had hair that was a bit more red than auburn. As the light hit their faces, I was in for a shock.  
  
"Melissa? Ella? You're working with Ayden?" I gasped.  
  
The two looked at each other and maliciously grinned before turning back to me.  
  
"What are you talking about? He was working for us," Melissa answered in a sickly-sweet voice.  
  
"But why?"  
  
"For beauty," Ella answered.  
  
"You see, Ella and I both adore beauty in every and any form," Melissa explained.  
  
"We want to collect a sample of beauty from every form. Our collection is almost complete, but there were still a few things missing. One was beauty through vocal expression. Another was youth and innocence. The third was a sweet and tame demeanor. And the fourth was intelligence. Collecting them individually, we realized, would take up too much of our time. We decided that we needed to collect something that had all four.   
"And you, my dear," she purred as she stroked my face.  
"Are the perfect specimen."  
  
I slapped her hand away in fury.  
  
"Well, we'll have to work on the tame part, but still," she exclaimed as she rubbed her hand.  
  
"But you could've gone for anyone else. Why pick me?" I asked as I tried to stall.  
  
"You were the most convenient target at the time. That is, until Ayden found us out."  
  
"How did you get Ayden to work for you? He would never do something like that willingly. And why Ayden?"  
  
"When he found out that we had been the ones chirping and calling out your name that day, we threatened to take him captive if he told you our plans or if he didn't do some of the dirty work for us," Ella explained.  
"He put the birdcage and the bird costume in your locker, told Tabitha to give you the package with the puzzle inside, and played as the voice over the phone. Who else would have access to your locker or knows where you live?"  
  
"What's going to happen to me?" I asked as I attempted to hold down my fear.  
  
 _Just a few more minutes,_ I thought.  
  
"When we get back to our lair, there is a nice golden birdcage that is very roomy," Melissa explained.  
"It has everything that you could possibly want to live as our human canary. There you will stay and you will sing for us and our friends whenever we want you to. In return you shall be fed, sheltered, and nurtured as well as spoiled."  
  
"But people will surely notice it if I go missing."  
  
"We'll fabricate a cover story for you. We'll write a letter saying that you ran off to join the circus."  
  
"No one will ever believe that trash!"  
  
"Not unless we get a writing sample."  
  
"But how will you keep me from trying to escape?"  
  
"Hypnotism, of course. I wasn't kidding when I said that I'd find ways."  
  
"But I'll be lonely."  
  
"You'd learn to love it."  
  
"What if I don't learn to love it? You don't want a sad, canary girl, do you?"  
  
"We'll figure something out. Now, if you'll come with us, there's a nice golden bird cage with your name on it waiting at our lair."  
  
The three of us walked towards the black car. As we got closer, I saw Ayden buckled up in the backseat. They just had the door open and were about to shove me in when a series of sirens blared and turned the corner. A squadron of police cars surrounded the driveway and I knew that I had stalled just enough time.  
  
"Sorry, you two, but looks like you're gonna be the ones in cages as birds; jail birds." 

* * *

Two weeks have passed since the incident. Tabitha says that she won the contest, but it was for a different story.  
  
"It's about this girl who gets kidnapped for her singing voice," she tells me at the park after school.  
  
"What happens in the end?" I ask.  
  
"The kidnappers escape and find her again."  
  
"Spooky," I exclaim as she runs over to play with her friends.  
  
I close my eyes and sit on the swings at the park, taking in what happened. It's so unbelievable that it all happened such a shot while ago. Two weeks ago, two senior girl tried to kidnap me and make me their little canary who would sing for them when they wished. It still gets to me sometimes. I jump at every car that passes by. I shriek whenever I hear a knock on the door. But I need to just let it go.  
Ayden and I are both safe. Melissa and Ella are in prison for abduction. I can just let it go.  
As I open my eyes, I'm surprised to find that everyone else is gone. I am alone in the park.  
  
"Tabitha?" I call out.  
  
There's no answer. My heart begins to beat rapidly as I fear the worst. It has suddenly faded to night; midnight, in fact. And soon I see it. Just barely, but it's there.  
A black car drives up to the parking lot and the doors open. Two figures steps out. Even though I can't see them, I have a strange feeling that they're looking straight at me. They get closer and closer until their faces become unfortunately recognizable.  
  
"Oh no!" I gasp as my eyes triple in size.  
  
"Oh yes," Ella grins.  
  
"We escaped from prison. We've come back for you. And this time," Melissa says as she pulls out a strange-looking necklace from her pocket.  
"You aren't getting away from us, our pretty, little, canary girl. Hold her down, Ella."  
  
In a flash, Ella has my hands pinned and Melissa puts the necklace on. I struggle free and I try to run, but I don't even get five feet before I'm pulled back towards them and onto the swing set.  
  
"Uh, uh, uh," Melissa exclaims with a grin as she pulls out a glowing red jewel on a silver chain.  
"I wouldn't have tried to escape if I were you, my dear. The necklace won't let you."  
  
She begins to sway the jewel in front of my face. It's too tempting to look away from it, no matter how much I want to. I become so fixated onto it that my sense of fear disappears. They aren't going to hurt me. I have no reason to fear them. No reason at all.  
I begin to feel drowsy, and I welcome this feeling.  
  
"Sleep, our pretty, little Canary Girl," Melissa and Ella sweetly chorus.  
"Sleep."

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea from a conversation that I had with two of my friends and that is based on a blog entry that I wrote:
> 
> http://awriterinthetheatre.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/my-insane-fears-and-the-reasons-behind-them-part-0-25/


End file.
